About Charles M. Rittgers
Charles M. Rittgers is a trial lawyer with a strong record in high-stakes criminal defense and serious injury cases. With a blend of criminal defense and personal injury trial experience, Charlie applies the structured discovery strategies of civil law to criminal defense, and vice versa, for more effective advocacy. He is willing to take cases to trial that most lawyers would settle and has tried jury trials in federal and state courts across multiple states. In injury cases, his notable outcomes include a $28 million truck crash settlement
- a $12 million wrongful death settlement with no economic loss
- an $11 million policy-limit car crash settlement
- a $15 million summary jury verdict in federal court for a motorcycle crash
- and a $10 million jury verdict in Hamilton County against Good Samaritan Hospital for medical malpractice wrongful death
In criminal defense, Charlie obtained a not guilty verdict in an international-attention murder case involving a false confession. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and, at induction, was the youngest of all 10 ABCL fellows in Ohio.
Proven verdicts and settlements
A Cincinnati jury awarded $10 million on May 1, 2026, after finding that TriHealth's Good Samaritan Hospital placed 69-year-old Terri Price in a psychiatric unit instead of a medical unit, leaving her without the nursing care and IV antibiotics needed to treat her advancing sepsis.
A Hamilton County jury found JACK Cincinnati Casino 100% liable after a 69-year-old patron tripped over a collapsed wet-floor sign that a casino employee had walked past seconds before the fall, fracturing her kneecap and requiring surgery.
A Warren County jury acquitted Brooke Skylar Richardson on all serious charges, including aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter, after Charles H. Rittgers and Charles M. Rittgers convinced jurors the newborn had been stillborn.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
